Dignity of Work

Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski
Archbishop of Miami
Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 5, 2016

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
– Psalm 90:1

This Labor Day, we draw our attention to our sisters and brothers who face twin crises—deep trials in
both the world of work and the state of the family. These challenging times can pull us toward despair and all the
many dangers that come with it. Into this reality, the Church shares a word of hope, directing hearts and minds
to the dignity of each human person and the sanctity of work itself, which is given by God. She seeks to replace
desperation and isolation with human concern and true solidarity, reaffirming the trust in a good and gracious
God who knows what we need before we ask him (Mt. 6:8).

A World of Work in Disarray

We behold signs that have become too familiar in the years following the Great Recession: stagnant wages,
industry leaving towns and cities behind, and the sharp decline in the rate of private-sector organized labor, which
fell by more than two-thirds between 1973 and 2009 down to 7%. Millions of families still find themselves living
in poverty, unable to work their way out. Poverty rates among children are alarmingly high, with almost 40
percent of American children spending at least one year in poverty before they turn eighteen. Although this reality
is felt nation-wide, this year new research has emerged showing the acute pain of middle and rural America in
the wake of the departure of industry. Once the center of labor and the promise of family-sustaining wages,
research shows these communities collapsing today, substance abuse on the rise, and an increase in the number
of broken families.

Family in Crisis

The family is bent under the weight of these economic pressures and related cultural problems. Pope
Francis, at the conclusion of his address to Congress last September, spoke of the consequences for families:

How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our
support and encouragement! . . . In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who
are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons,
yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and
despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk
about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of
oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family,
because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options
that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.1

Economic and political forces have led to increasingly lowered economic prospects for Americans without
access to higher education, which is having a direct impact on family health and stability. For example, over half
of parents between the ages of 26 and 31 now have children outside of a marriage, and research shows a major
factor is the lack middle-skill jobs – careers by which someone can sustain a family above the poverty line without a college degree – in regions with high income inequality. Divorce rates and the rate of single-parent households
break down along similar educational and economic lines. Financial concerns and breakdowns in family life can
lead to a sense of hopelessness and despair. The Rust Belt region now appears to have the highest concentration
in the nation of drug-related deaths, including from overdoses of heroin and prescription drugs.

The Church weeps with all of these families, with these children, whose homes and worlds are broken.
As Pope Francis has said: “There are many unjust situations, but we know that God is suffering with us,
experiencing them at our side. He does not abandon us. Jesus not only wanted to show solidarity with every
person. He not only wanted everyone to experience his companionship, his help, his love. He identified with all
those who suffer, who weep, who suffer any kind of injustice. He says this clearly: ‘I was hungry and you gave
me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ (Mt. 25:35).”2

“So That They May All Be One” – John 17:21

When we begin to look for answers to these realities, we gain less confidence from many of our political
leaders these days. Instead of dialogue and constructive solutions that bring people together, we see increasing
efforts to divide as a means to gain support. But more divisions are never the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:19-
21). When our leaders ought to be calling us toward a vision of the common good that lifts the human spirit and
seeks to soothe our tendencies toward fear, we find our insecurities exploited as a means to further partisan
agendas. Our leaders must never use anxiety as a means to manipulate persons in desperate situations, or to pit
one group of persons against another for political gain. For our dynamics to change, we must replace fear with a
fuller vision that can be powerfully supported by our faith.

The Good News is Still Good

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden light” (Mt. 11:28-30). Let us begin by going to the Lord, laying our burdens at the foot
of His cross and giving over our hearts that we might find rest.

Pope Francis paints a picture of a lasting answer to the growing isolation and desperation that we see all
around us. To counter hopelessness, he tells us that the Christian community gets involved “by word and deed in
people’s daily lives; it bridges distances . . . and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in
others.”3 In the face of endless, hectic activity and self-concern, the Church “is familiar with patient expectation
and apostolic endurance,” as well as “patience and disregard for constraints of time.”4 The kind of encounter
that we offer can be transformative, fill others with a sense of their God-given dignity, and help them to know
they are not alone in their struggles. The Church’s history is filled with communities that took seriously the call
to be their “brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9), faced challenges together, and lifted up the “cry of the poor” (Psalm
34:7). For those who feel left behind today, know that the Church wants to walk with you, in the company of the
God who formed your “inmost being” and who knows that you are “wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Dignified work is at the heart of our efforts because we draw insight into who we are as human beings
from it. Saint John Paul II reminded us that human labor is an essential key to understanding our social
relationships, vital to family formation and the building up of community according to our God-given dignity.
He wrote “. . . man’s life is built up every day from work, from work it derives its specific dignity.”5 We know
work has dignity because Jesus “devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual work at the carpenter’s
bench. This circumstance constitutes in itself the most eloquent ‘Gospel of work,’ showing that the basis for
determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who
is doing it is a person.”6 Poverty therefore appears “as a result of the violation of the dignity of human work:
either because the opportunities for human work are limited as a result of the scourge of unemployment, or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the
personal security of the worker and his or her family.”7

In our call to rebuild community on a firmer foundation, we must rely upon the sister principles of
solidarity and subsidiarity. Solidarity recognizes that each of us is connected, and that we all have the
responsibility to care for one another, particularly those who are poor and vulnerable. The principle of subsidiarity
recognizes that issues facing human beings should be addressed at the appropriate level of society with the
capacity to do so, and often in concert with others.

The first response, then, is local, to look to our neighbors in need, our brothers and sisters who may be
without sufficient work for their families, and offer them help. That help may take the form of food, money,
counsel, friendship, spiritual support or other forms of love and kindness. We ought to expect this kind of
engagement from Christians in the midst of our difficulties, and we should pray to find ways to provide it as
members of the Church. If you are an employer, you are called to respect the dignity of your workers through a
just wage and working conditions that allow for a secure family life.

As we engage with our neighbors and our communities, we quickly find ways to deepen solidarity in a
broader way, and to act on the structures and policies that impact meaningful work and family stability. The
mystical body of Christ is alive across our nation and world, and our response in Christ looks to our larger society
as well. “Love for society and commitment to the common good are outstanding expressions of a charity which
affects not only relationships between individuals but also ‘macro-relationships, social, economic and political
ones.’”8 Simply put, we must advocate for jobs and wages that truly provide a dignified life for individuals and
their families, and for working conditions that are safe and allow for a full flourishing of life outside of the
workplace. Unions and worker associations, while imperfect, remain an essential part of the effort, and people
of faith and goodwill can be powerful leaven to ensure that these groups, so important in society, continue to keep
human dignity at the heart of their efforts.

As the fruits of solidarity and our care for one another increase, as we begin to make real impacts toward
policies that help individuals begin stable families and live in accord with their dignity, the tired paradigm that
fuels our national politics will be challenged. As Pope Francis has written “[e]very economic and political theory
or action must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity
and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's
own human potential.”9 With time, we will begin to restore a sense of hope and lasting change that places our
economic and political systems at the service of the human person once more.

Let us always remember in these difficult times the Lord’s offer of “rest” for “all you who labor and are
burdened.” As Pope Francis writes, the Sabbath Day “proclaims ‘man’s eternal rest in God.’”10 As we advocate
for all who are struggling to find sufficient work that honors their dignity, we should also affirm in society the
need of all people to rest, and finally to “rest in God.” In times of restlessness and discouragement, let us recall
the beautiful prayer of St. Augustine, who wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are
restless until they rest in you.”

There is much to be done! Let us go forth with the hopeful expectation of the Psalmist:

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:14-17)

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 2, 2013

Every human being enjoys a basic right to be respected,
not because of any title, position, prestige, or accomplishment but first of
all because we are created in the image and likeness of God. From an ethical
and moral perspective we embrace the exhortation of St. Paul "to anticipate one another in showing honor"
(Rom 12:10). Today's competitive culture challenges us to strive for victory
and advantage, but for St. Paul the challenge is to build each other up and
honor one another's innate dignity.

Labor Day is an opportunity to take stock of the ways workers
are honored and respected. Earlier this year, Pope Francis pointed out, "Work
is fundamental to the dignity of a person. . . . It gives one the ability to
maintain oneself, one's family, to contribute to the growth of one's own
nation." Unfortunately, millions of workers today are denied this honor and
respect as a result of unemployment, underemployment, unjust wages, wage theft,
abuse, and exploitation.

Even with new indicators of some modest progress in
recovery, the economy still has not improved the standard of living for many people,
especially for the poor and the working poor, many of whom are unemployed or
underemployed. More than four million people have been jobless for over six
months, and that does not include the millions more who have simply lost hope. For
every available job, there are often five unemployed and underemployed people
actively vying for it. This jobs gap pushes wages down. Half of the jobs in
this country pay less than $27,000 per year. More than 46 million people live
in poverty, including 16 million children. The economy is not creating an adequate
number of jobs that allow workers to provide for themselves and their families.
Jobs, wages, and poverty are interrelated. The only way to reduce the widening
gap between the affluent and the poorest people in our nation is by creating quality
jobs that provide a just compensation that enables workers to live in the
dignity appropriate for themselves and their families.

Growing Inequality
Hurts Families and Communities

High unemployment and underemployment are connected to
the rise in income inequality. The prophetic words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
in Caritas in Veritate warn us of the
dangers of inequality:

The dignity of the individual
and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices
do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally
unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. .
. . Through the systemic increase of social inequality . . . not only does
social cohesion suffer, thereby placing democracy at risk, but so too does the
economy, through the progressive erosion of "social capital" . . . indispensable
for any form of civil coexistence. (no. 32)

Is it possible that this is happening here in the United
States? In many places, wealth and basic needs are separated by only a few
blocks or subway stops. We only have to look under bridges and in alleyways.
The words from Gaudium et Spes (no.
63) from the Second Vatican Council of fifty years ago seem to be just as true
today: "While an immense number of people still lack the absolute necessities
of life, some, even in less advanced areas, live in luxury or squander wealth."
How can it be said that persons honor one another when such "extravagance and
wretchedness exist side by side"?

Who Do We Hope to
Be As a Nation?

Most people want to live in a more equal society that
provides opportunities for growth and development. The current imbalances are
not inevitable, but demand boldness in promoting a just economy that reduces
inequality by creating jobs that pay a living wage and share with workers some profits
of the company. It also requires ensuring a strong safety net for jobless
workers and their families and those who are incapable of work. As individuals and
families, as the Church, as community organizations, as businesses, as
government, we all have a responsibility to promote the dignity of work and to
honor workers' rights.

Since the end of the Civil War, unions have been an
important part of our economy because they provide protections for workers and
more importantly a way for workers to participate in company decisions that
affect them. Catholic teaching has consistently affirmed the right of workers
to choose to form a union. The rise in income inequality has mirrored a decline
in union membership. Unions, like all human institutions, are imperfect, and they
must continue to reform themselves so they stay focused on the important issues
of living wages and appropriate benefits, raising the minimum wage, stopping
wage theft, standing up for safe and healthy working conditions, and other
issues that promote the common good. The Church, in accord with her principles
on the life and dignity of the human person, wishes to collaborate with unions
in securing the rights and dignity of workers.

Private enterprises, at their best, create decent jobs,
contribute to the common good, and pay just wages. Ethical and moral business
leaders know that it is wrong to chase profits and success at the expense of
workers' dignity. They know that they have a vocation to build the kind of
solidarity that honors the worker and the least among us. They remember that
the economy is "for people." They know that great harm results when they
separate their faith or human values from their work as business leaders.

Whenever possible we should support businesses and
enterprises that protect human life and dignity, pay just wages, and protect
workers' rights. We should support immigration policies that bring immigrant
workers out of the shadows to a legal status and offer them a just and fair
path to citizenship, so that their human rights are protected and the wages for
all workers rise.

We honor the immigrant worker by remembering that the
building of America has been carried out by so many who fled persecution,
violence, and poverty elsewhere, coming to America to offer their talents and
gifts to support themselves and their families. We welcome the stranger, the
refugee, the migrant, and the marginalized, because they are children of God
and it is our duty to do so. But at the same time it is important to end the
political, social, and economic conditions that drive people from their
homelands and families. Solidarity calls us to honor workers in our own
communities and around the world.

The pain of the poor and those becoming poor in the
rising economic inequality of our society is mounting. Therefore, on this Labor
Day 2013, let us renew our commitment to promote the dignity of the human
person through work that is honorable, pays just wages, and recognizes the God-given
dignity of the working person.

At
the end of Mass we are commanded "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord." We
leave with a sense of mission to show one another honor by what we do and say.
On this Labor Day our mission takes us to the millions of people who continue
to suffer the effects of the current economy.

Work is, as has been said, an obligation, that is to say, a duty, on the part of man. .
. Man must work, both because the Creator has commanded it and because
of his own humanity, which requires work in order to be maintained and
developed. Man must work out of regard for others, especially his own
family, but also for the society he belongs to, the country of which he
is a child, and the whole human family of which he is a member, since
he is the heir to the work of generations and at the same time a sharer
in building the future of those who will come after him in the
succession of history. On Human Work (Laborem Exercens. . . ), #16